


To Guard You on The Way

by kiath



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, M/M, Religion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-24
Updated: 2009-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-28 22:54:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/313070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiath/pseuds/kiath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the Christmas Eve from Hell until Elijah gets a heavenly proposition.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Guard You on The Way

In the sanctuary of his church, Elijah can normally find comfort and peace of mind; tonight, he just feels cold. He stares at Jesus, suffering on his cross, and Jesus just stares right back. Sorry, sir, we're closed for the holidays: no answers today.

After two years working at his little refuge, nothing shocks Elijah anymore, even at Christmas. Not the beatings, nor the neglect; his disbelief is on permanent suspension. The highs are still to be found here and there, and Elijah knows he'd rather do something worthy than just rot away in a cubicle, slouched over endless Excel spreadsheets. But still, there are days when all he takes home is a hollow feeling of despair that no matter how hard they all work, there'll still be some poor child spending Christmas Day suffering at the hands of its parents.

When he arrives home on Christmas Eve, emotionally and physically exhausted after an epically depressing shift, all Elijah wants is to head to his newly-adopted second home, take a shower and be cuddled by someone safe and warm before leaving for early-evening mass. What he doesn't want is to watch Mark, boyfriend extraordinaire of the last four months, scrabble for his clothes, spluttering explanations as to what the third - and notably naked - person in the bedroom is doing there.

The other worshippers rise to sing. Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Elijah carefully closes his hymnbook, places it back on the small shelf in front of his pew, and leaves.

*

"If you take me home with you, I'll do a million and one filthy things to you."

The bartender in front of Elijah raises his eyebrows at the invitation and grins. "If he says no, honey, I'm not busy."

Elijah glances in the direction of the offer and takes in a cocky grin and smudged eyeliner. "Go on," his suitor breathes in a rough British accent, biting down on a smirk like he can barely contain himself. "I promise I don't tell fibs."

Elijah shakes his head, but his treacherous ego begs to be asked again. Sleazy propositions aren't really his thing, but he's always had a soft spot for this particular brand of fantastically foreign staccato rhythms and hardened vowels. "No thanks. Not interested," he replies, listening to his sensible side. British accent or not, the only company Elijah can envisage tolerating tonight is Jim Beam. Leaving a dollar bill on the bar, he takes his liquor and makes his way to an empty table.

"Come on, at least let me buy you a drink. It is Christmas, after all." The man follows Elijah like a persistent puppy, leaning on the table and smiling too wide for someone who just got firmly rejected.

"Did someone stick a sign on my back saying 'easy and desperate' or something?"

Dropping his super-smooth facade for just a moment, the man flat-out grins, all teeth, jaw jutting forward. "No, I just got the impression you were in need of a little company. I'm Dominic, by the way."

Elijah reluctantly takes the hand Dominic offers him and squeezes back with well-mannered courtesy. "Elijah. And for the record, all I'm in need of tonight is obliteration. But thanks."

Dominic keeps a firm hold of Elijah's hand and huffs out a little laugh. His cat-like, kohl-lined eyes peek out from behind overlong bangs of bleached hair. _You're too old for bangs_ , Elijah informs him silently. They're pretty though, those feline eyes.

Pretty or not, Elijah isn't in the mood for any of this. He's about to tell Dominic so, really he is, even as Dominic raises Elijah's hand to his mouth and presses a kiss to the back of his fingers. He waits too long, and Dominic uses the hesitation to his advantage.

"Go on - it's Christmas Eve, and I've been a good boy all year." He bites gently on Elijah's knuckles, Elijah flinching a little from the surprise, but not pulling away. "I haven't had a night off in forever. I'd love to spend it with you."

Despite himself, Elijah feels his resolve weakening. As tempting as obliteration is, the accent is wearing him down. This is the first _real_ one he's ever come across. _TV really doesn't do you people justice_ , Elijah thinks, ever-so-reluctantly pulling his hand free.

"A million and one?"

"Give or take."

"You're not a, y'know, hooker, are you? Because I don't pay for it, and I don't have anything worth stealing, so-"

Dominic chuckles at that. "Sweetheart, I'm not charging. And I don't need to steal from the likes of you."

Elijah downs the last of his drink in one mouthful, ignoring the burn in favour of wondering whether he should be insulted or embarrassed. He settles on both. "Buy me another drink and I'll think about it." Dominic smiles and heads back to the bar without another word. Elijah glances over his shoulder and watches him walk away, knowing all the while he should be praying, giving thanks to God at this Holy time, not idly checking out some rebound pick-up's ass. The guilt floods through him and he turns back to the table, toying with the idea of making his excuses and getting the hell out of there. If he hurried, he could maybe make it back in time for the sacraments.

"For you," Dominic says, placing a small tumbler of whiskey in front of Elijah and taking a seat beside him.

Elijah nods at Dominic's own drink. "Orange juice?"

"I'm driving."

"Oh."

"So," Dominic's smiling at him again, that same cocky self-assured grin. "Elijah. Tell me what on earth you're doing here all alone, tonight of all nights."

"Is that any of your business?"

Elijah gets a shrug in return. "Not in the slightest. Doesn't mean I can't ask."

"I came home from work to find my boyfriend in bed with someone else. There." Elijah takes a large mouthful of his drink and winces as it tears a path down his throat. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes," Dominic replies. He sips delicately at his juice and then tips his head a little to one side. "I'm sorry."

Elijah watches Dominic's hand slide over his own, claiming it again. He sighs. "No, I'm sorry. I really don't think I'm in the right mood for this."

"This?"

"You know, _this_. The whole-" Elijah pulls his hand free for a second time and waves it a little to help make his point. "-thing, _this_ thing. Whatever. You know what I mean."

Dominic continues to smile; it's infuriating. How can one guy be so steadfastly unruffled? He leans a little closer and narrows his eyes. "Elijah, I'll be honest with you: My days off are so few and far between that I can't remember the last time I had one. In fact, I don't think I have another evening to do as I please for the next three months. It also happens that you are the only person in here I want to go home with.

"Now, if you tell me to leave you alone, I will. I'll be terribly sad, but I'll do it. However, I'm hoping that I can convince you to forget about your bastard of an ex for a few hours and just have a little fun with me instead. I clean my teeth twice a day, I don't fart in bed, and I'm wearing my lucky pants." Twisting a little in his seat, Dominic pulls the waistband of his underwear above that of his jeans. The cotton stretches beneath his fingers, a familiar comic book character following suit. "See? Batman. Never done me wrong, these."

Elijah laughs at that, and Dominic grins back. "Glory be, a smile! C'mon, Elijah... You don't want to be here, I can tell. Take me home. I promise you we'll have a good time."

"A million and one, huh?" Elijah repeats with a sigh, smiling again despite himself. "Shit. Okay, what the hell. But I'm gonna be counting, you know."

*

The passenger-side door of Dominic's Prius is cold against Elijah's ass, and despite the warmth of the body pressed up against him, he shudders from the chill. He hadn't planned on going far that night, just between the refuge, mass and Mark's bed, and Elijah's thin jacket is proving thoroughly inadequate as Dominic makes himself well acquainted with Elijah's mouth, right there in the parking lot.

"I'm cold," Elijah whispers, reluctantly breaking the kiss to state the obvious.

"Can we go to yours?" Dominic replies, cupping Elijah's face with unnaturally warm hands and kissing him again. "My place is kinda unavailable."

Elijah hums a vague acquiescence, mentally running through all the reasons that might be a bad idea. Since meeting Mark, he's barely been home; the sheets need changing, the garbage can in the kitchen probably stinks... Hell, Elijah can't even remember when he last fed his fish.

As it happens, he barely even notices the state of his apartment when they finally tumble through the door. Dominic's eagerness distracts Elijah from the mess, his seductive kisses outside the bar having rapidly descended into desperate, messy smooches. Elijah's even less sure about this guy in the cold light of his equally chilly apartment, especially when he hears how long it's been since someone last smeared Dominic's eyeliner.

"Nine months? Have you been in a horrible relationship, or something?" Elijah asks as Dominic pulls his t-shirt over his head and makes to peel off Elijah's jacket.

"Just working really hard. It's been one of those years, you know? All work and no play..."

Elijah stares at Dominic's torso, licking his lips and nodding vaguely, instantly distracted by a show of lean muscles and lightly tan skin, then by Dominic's long fingers now busying themselves with undoing Elijah's jeans. "Yeah. Sucks."

With a broad grin, Dominic tugs Elijah down the hall by his open fly. "Don't worry, the dull part doesn't apply."

"Yeah, right. Or my money back?"

Dominic grins. "Satisfaction guaranteed."

*

"So, what do you do?" Dominic asks, turning over on to his stomach and cuddling the pillow beneath his head.

Elijah smiles, eyes half-lidded, tilting his face so he can smirk lazily in Dominic's direction. "I think we've already established the answer to that: anything you want me to."

That earns an appreciative laugh from Dominic. "Clever boy. And what do you do the rest of the time?"

"I work for a charity."

Dominic's smile broadens. "Yeah? That's cool. Tell me more."

"It's, uh, like a homeless children's charity," Elijah explains, reluctant to think about work again just as he'd finally started to forget. "We find accommodation for kids who've been thrown out of home or live in abusive families or whatever."

"That's a good cause."

"It is." Elijah stares back up at the ceiling and allows himself a tiny smile. "Long hours, but I know I'm doing something worthwhile. It's pretty tough though. Like, emotionally." He looks back at Dominic. "What about you?"

"I'm an angel."

*

Elijah can only gape as Dominic stands at the end of the bed, totally naked, fluffing out an enormous pair of wings. He smiles proudly at Elijah, and they flutter a little.

"Aren't they beautiful? I really love them, but they're so much work to look after. I have to get my tips trimmed every six weeks, you know. No-one likes an angel with split ends."

Elijah gapes a little more. "Wha-... I mean, where... I mean, what the fuck?"

Dominic responds to his confusion by doing a little turn and giving Elijah a rear view. The feathers are a brilliant white, and there are layers upon layers upon layers of them. They shroud almost all of his body from this angle, with just his ass showing and a wide grin cracking his face as he looks over his shoulder at Elijah. It's the very image of Christian prophecy as played out in a slow-moving, bizarrely coquettish porno.

"I would have shown you earlier, but I can't have them out all the time; it's just not practical, especially when you're about to get your end away. People tend to get a little distracted from the job at hand." Dominic chuckles at that, then turns to face the bed again. His smile fades a little, suddenly muted into something shy and more than a little nervy. "So, what d'you reckon?"

Elijah just keeps on gaping.

*

"So I was fifteen, right, and we were all sent to the careers advisor, one by one, to find out what we should do for the rest of our lives. Like a teenager needs to know that kind of thing!" Dominic rolls his eyes. "Everyone else comes back to the classroom with print-outs saying they should work in medicine or sales or gutting chickens or whatever, but when it's my turn, the guy who's come into school to do the test goes all shiny and says, 'Thou art called for a greater purpose. The Lord God Almighty - praise be to His name - will take you as a messenger and servant to see His work is done on Earth. Give thanks to God, to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.' I'm just sitting there wondering if someone's slipped something into the cheese and pickle sandwich I ate at lunch.

"I properly freaked out, obviously. Got put in the sick bay 'till I calmed down and everything. Ten years later to the _day_ ," Dominic points his finger to emphasise his point before spreading both arms wide, "boom! I'm in this huge car crash. Dead in an instant. The next thing I know there's Jesus reaching out to me and I'm walking away from my own body."

Dominic affects a beatific look and stretches out his hand towards the bed, apparently trying to reenact the moment Jesus checked in. Elijah briefly wonders if he should be calling the cops. "You... saw Jesus. Right. Okay."

"True blue, he was right there, as real as you or I. Nice bloke, too. S'all true what people say about him. He takes me up to Heaven - which is amazing, by the way." Dominic beams at Elijah, eyes bright, before dropping down beside him on the mattress. Dominic's wings curl up a little until he's settled, then spread out around him. Elijah stares at them from the corner of his eye, outright horror mingling with fascination. "Like, the most amazing place you've ever seen. I thought Rome was pretty cool, but Heaven? Wow. Anyway, he sends me off to get housed and then the next day I start my angelic training. And that's my story. To this day, all my CV says is: Dominic Monaghan, Somerfield shelf-stacker and God's servant on Earth. I only do the second one now, obviously. You still technically have to be semi-alive to work at Somerfield." Dominic finally pauses for breath and narrows his eyes at Elijah. "Are you all right? The wings are freaking you out, aren't they? Are they too much? I can put them away if you like."

"No!" Elijah surprises himself with his outburst; even more so when he reaches out and tentatively strokes a finger down one feather. "No, don't. I'm just- It's a lot to, y'know, take in. I don't know what to say."

"Amen to that, mate."

*

"I'm top of my division, you know." Dominic beams proudly, then hums a little with pleasure as Elijah runs a palm along his left wing. Elijah is strangely delighted to find Dominic cat-like when petted, arching into the touch with eager anticipation. "I was promoted every six months until I couldn't get any higher in the ranks. I'm one of His favorites."

"What do you... do?"

"I save people. Bring happiness when there is none, comfort the lonely, all that stuff. I'm dead good at helping people when they're having a crisis of faith, too. Check this out."

Dominic springs to his feet and places his hands together as if in prayer. He beams at Elijah with giddy anticipation, before composing himself and fluttering out his wings as wide as the room allows, speaking in an even tone.

"The Lord your God has sent me - praise be to His name!"

Elijah can't help but laugh; the serious look on Dominic's face and his attempt to smooth out the rough edges of his accent are just too much.

"Oi, do you mind?" Dominic scowls at Elijah. "This is a serious business, you know."

"Sorry," Elijah replies, barely holding back his mirth. "Please, carry on."

Rolling his shoulders and exhaling slowly, Dominic assumes his former position, affects a little cough and begins again. "The Lord your God has sent me - praise be to His name! I bring you His love and His blessing, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." He reaches out his hands and places one over Elijah's forehead, the other cupping his cheek. "Peace be with you, amen."

Elijah feels a surge of intense pleasure rushing through his entire body, better than any orgasm. He opens his mouth but finds himself unable to make a single noise; he can barely even breathe. Seconds later, stars burst in front of his eyes and he blacks out.

*

"That was just a freebie," Dominic explains when Elijah wakes up. His wings are gone and he's curled around Elijah's body protectively, holding Elijah back against his chest. Dominic's fingers smooth circles on his stomach; lips smooch gently against the top of his spine. "You know, a sample."

"Huh," Elijah whispers. He can't think of anything else to say. "S'uh good."

Dominic laughs, and Elijah can feel it vibrate through his entire body. They lay in silence for a long time, dozing against one another, until Dominic says that he should probably think about leaving.

"You can't stay the whole night?"

"You want me to?"

"Yeah." Elijah twists his head and kisses Dominic with awkward gentleness, unsure all of a sudden if it's the done thing. Dominic kisses back, biting gently at Elijah's bottom lip with a playful growl, and Elijah stops worrying about tarnishing a sacred thing. "Stay. Please?"

Dominic cracks a broad grin and shrugs. "Okay. But my pimp insists I charge my tricks a flat fee in advance for the whole night, and additional blowies are extra. Can you afford it, Elijah?"

Sniggering appreciatively, Elijah turns to face Dominic. "Asshole. You don't talk like an angel, you know that?"

"I told you, I'm off-duty."

"So I wasn't an assignment, then?"

"Of course not," Dominic replies. "What makes you think that?"

Elijah shrugs. "Just had a shitty day, that's all. Ended up walking out of mass and straight into a bar. That can't be good for my heavenly credit score."

Dominic hoots with laughter, his giant grin stretching right across his face. "Heavenly credit score? Let me tell you a trade secret, Elijah: it's not about how many hours you spend in mass pretending to listen; all that matters is how you live your life. Trust me, from what you've told me about the work you do, you're good with God."

"You think?"

"Take it from one of the chosen few, sweetheart. You could probably even do this job if you fancied it."

"What, be an angel?"

"Of course," Dominic replies. "You're special, you. Trust me."

Elijah smiles back, touched by the compliment. "They don't mind homo angels up there, then?"

"Are you kidding? There's so much war and famine and pain in the world; you think God gives a shit about who we shag?"

"I guess not." Dominic's revelation soothes the residual shreds of Elijah's Catholic guilt, and he can't help but shift a little closer. "So, if it's totally cool with God, do you want to, y'know, do it again?"

A wolfish grin spreads over Dominic's face. "I thought you'd never ask."

*

Dominic is gone when Elijah wakes up. Crisp sunshine streams through the crack in the curtain, warming the empty space in the bed, and Elijah can't help but feel a wave of disappointment. He really didn't want Dominic to leave without at least getting a phone number. He knows the difference between a drug-induced good time and the real deal, the kind of lay that never really needed the extra simulation. Dominic was definitely the latter.

Regardless, Elijah makes a mental note to try and get more of whatever it was he took. Okay, so he can't quite remember buying anything; and actually, now he thinks about it, he can't remember taking anything... but he remembers the hallucinations quite clearly: Dominic with enormous shimmering wings was a particular highlight.

Damn it. If only he could remember what he'd bought. And from whom. And _when_.

Some time later, he climbs out of bed and makes his way to the bathroom. The floor has little puddles on it and Elijah's only towel is damp; Dominic must have showered before he left. Elijah thinks about him as he washes, trying to remember the last time he'd had someone quite as good and cursing himself for not taking a number while he had the chance.

He doesn't notice the note left in the bedroom until he goes looking for clean underwear.

_Elijah -  
Had to run! Late for work. Big day at the office, obviously.  
I was serious about the job. If you're interested, sign the form and keep it somewhere safe. Just see it as a post-life career plan. You'd be great!  
Thanks for a great night. And MERRY CHRISTMAS!  
Dominic  
PS - Cheesy gift or what? Hello, bad rom com! Hope you like it tho._

Lying beneath the letter is another sheet of paper, a heavy-grade leaf headed in gold print. A sprawling font spells out _His Good Work_ ; beneath that, an application form unlike any Elijah's seen before. Beside it is a long white feather; Dominic's gift, Elijah assumes. Taking it in his hands, he slumps down onto the bed and stares, head swimming, reality askew. Eventually he smiles, glances up at the ceiling and laughs.

"Halle-fucking-lujah!"


End file.
